Alanna's Hair by Z.S. Adani

In a world ruled by fear, mistrust can be a constant companion. Is there room for love in such a world? Z.S. (Sophy) Adani brings us this tale of one woman who must find the answer to that question for herself.

Z.S. Adani's Bio

Z.S.Adani has a background in biology and art. She started writing fiction in 2005, and is currently working on short stories and novel revisions. She lives in Florida with her husband and two daughters.

Sophy is a graduate of the James Gunn Writers Workshop, and co-editor of Destination: Future, an anthology to be published by Hadley Rille Books in early 2010.

Her short stories appear in Warrior Wisewoman2 anthology, Global Warming Aftermaths anthology, Something Wicked magazine, Alternative Coordinates, The Writer's Eye Magazine, Murky Depths magazine, and other online and print venues.

One of her short stories was a Finalist in the 2007 Writers of the Future Contest.

Visit Z.S. Adani at http://www.alnitak-z-orionis.com.

Scott's Planet by Bob Brown

It's time to leave Scott's Planet. Everyone's leaving. Well, maybe not everyone. Maybe there are some advantages to staying on a planet that everyone else is leaving.

Bob Brown's Bio

Bob Brown lives in Eastern Washington where he works in the nuclear industry. Bob, among other things, has been an award winning commentator for Northwest Public Radio, an oyster harvester, politician, a carpenter, and is an avid biker.

Z-Hour by N. E. Chenier

Earth's Zero Hour has come and gone. Now trans-generational inhabitants of the Comb have the opportunity to see it happen. Today will be the biggest day of their lives. What time is it? Time for flair and fashion! Time to see and be seen! Time to party!

N. E. (Nancy) Chenier lets you share the event with one young woman for whom this event means all the above and, before it's over, much more.

N. E. Chenier's Bio

Nancy Chenier has been experiencing perpetual exodus which has taken her through North America and the Far East. Since graduating from high school, she has never spent more than three years in a single place. Someday, she and her similarly itinerant husband will find a planet to settle on. Meanwhile, she is grateful for the portability of her laptop and yoga mat.

Sales include "Exiles" to the anthology Lilith Unbound (Elaine Cunningham, ed.), "Night Transit" and "Re-Annunciation" to OnSpec, and other fiction pieces to scattered online publications. She is currently at work on a space-operatic version of Hercules' labors called Chimera's Twelve.

Imagenie and Cover Art by David Eidson

David Eidson has agreed to let us publish one of his poems, Imagenie, which we think will do well as an opening poem for the anthology. David also provided the cover art for The Book of Exodi.

David Eidson's Bio

David Eidson was born in Missouri and lives near the Lake of the Ozarks. He has worked at a novelty manufacturing and distributing plant for almost 25 years. When he is not working, he enjoys fishing, hiking, and searching for lost artifacts. David has recently found renewed enjoyment in writing and music. He plays the keyboard and guitar and dabbles in art. His older brother is Missouri artist Stephen Eidson, and he has an uncle with a successful country-music songwriting career. David has always been a fan of science fiction and fantasy stories, and appreciates the role of imagination in shaping our futures.

Editing by Michael K. Eidson

Michael is the chief editor for The Book of Exodi, and has put so much effort into making it happen, we thought we'd tell you a little about him, too.

Michael K. Eidson's Bio

Michael is the manager of Eposic Diversions LLC and chief editor for the Eposic speculative fiction anthologies and web site. He has been interested in reading since before he first read Harold and the Purple Crayon, which he considers a classic. Today his leisure reading interests are primarily science fiction, fantasy, and horror. His "real" job carries the title of Senior Software Engineer and he works for a Fortune 500 R&D IT company. He currently lives in Windermere, Florida, about five minutes from Disney World, with his wife Mary and their dog Rusty. He is the proud father of one son, Andrew, who lives in Tennessee and who has promised to help market and promote The Book of Exodi.

You can find more of Michael's handiwork on the Trollhalla web site, where he occasionally volunteers his programming skills because he's such a fan of Ken St. Andre and Tunnels & Trolls. He wrote three stories that were published in Troll Tunnels, an anthology dedicated to Tunnels & Trolls, published by Peryton Publishing. And, of course, you can see more of Michael's work right here on the Eposic web site.

The Huntress of Avaleor by David Michael Elk

On Avaleor, the use of advanced technology is forbidden, to prevent the devastation such technology can bring, as happened generations ago in the great war that resulted in vast numbers of persons fleeing their home world, Savas. So how will three curious young people of Avaleor react when confronted with technology advanced even beyond the understanding of Savasian scientists? David Michael Elk offers us this work of unabashed pulp fiction at its finest.

David Michael Elk's Bio

David Michael Elk grew up in rural Missouri, and part of him is still there, while the other part is in sunny Florida. He makes use of advanced technology when it suits him. By one count, The Huntress of Avaleor is his first fiction sale; by another count, it's his fourth. But who's counting, anyway?

The Last Day on Earth by Anita Ensal

What would you do if you knew it was your last day on Earth? Anita Ensal tells us of the decisions made by one loving couple facing that very predicament.

Anita Ensal's Bio

Anita Ensal has always been intrigued by the possibilities inherent in myths and legends. She likes to find both the fantastical element in the mundane and the ordinary component within the incredible. She writes in all areas of speculative fiction and is honored to be a part of Eposic's inaugural collection. She is also published at Raphael's Village and is active on her blog, Fantastical Fiction.

Illustrations by Jeff Freels

Jeff is providing interior illustrations for several stories in The Book of Exodi. We are glad to have him on board!

Jeff Freels's Bio

Jeff Draws. Jeff draws a lot. I mean he's really, really, REALLY into drawing. If you dropped in on Jeff he'd probably draw you. He might just be the drawingest guy you'll ever meet.

Reliable sources say that he's been drawing since he could hold a pencil. Upon waking from a coma once the first thing he asked the nurse for was his drawing tablet.

He had to stop drawing for awhile when his eyes fell apart resulting in a lot of terrible surgeries, but then he set about learning how to draw again. Now he draws again. A lot.

On Starlit Seas by Max Gladstone

An armada is headed for Miami. Surely that can't be good. Max Gladstone tells us the story of one man's efforts to protect his home and his way of life from an invasion force the likes of which you've never seen. Or have you?

Max Gladstone's Bio

Max Gladstone has taught in rural China and ridden horses on the Mongolian steppe, and currently writes and works in Cambridge, MA. His short fiction has been published by onthepremises.com and spacewesterns.com, and he was a finalist in the 2008 Writers of the Future competition. You can find samples of his writing and excerpts from his novels on www.maxgladstone.com.

In Conjunction by Jennifer Greylyn

The conjunction of heavenly bodies is often considered an occasion of spiritual significance. In this story by Jennifer Greylyn of two cultures in one place, the inhabitants of one ancient city discover an amazing phenomenon that occurs during one particular heavenly conjunction.

Jennifer Greylyn's Bio

For most of her life, Jennifer Greylyn has written stories to entertain herself and satisfy the voices in her head that insist she pay attention to them. Only recently has she been persuaded (by the thoughtful but not very subtle prompting of family and friends) that other people might enjoy reading her stories as well. In 2008, her stories appeared in the e-zines Postcards From..., Renard's Menagerie and Abyss and Apex, as well as the fantasy anthology Lilith Unbound, and one is forthcoming in 2009 in the horror anthology Malpractice: Tales of Bedside Terror. She writes under a pseudonym to keep her writing life separate from her more mundane existence as a university teacher and tutor. She lives in Canada while her voices reside in a number of different places, many of them not in this world.

A Short Length of String by Neal F. Guye

How to describe this story? Let's see. Think Ocean's Eleven. Then think cyberpunk. Throw in a little end-of-the-world panic, and you get one grand tale of misadventure from Neal F. Guye.

Neal F. Guye's Bio

Neal F. Guye has degrees in physics and education. He has worked as a salmon fisherman, blackjack dealer, guitar teacher, high school and college instructor, software engineer, musical performer and composer, game-store owner, game designer, and author. He lives in a very old house on the Oregon coast.

Visit Neal F. Guye at http://nealhere.com.

Cauldron to the Stars by James Hartley

Would you like to be a modern day witch? Being able to do things that normal people can't would seem to have its perks. And well it might, except for the prejudices others might hold against you. Yes, even the modern day world has its prejudices. What if such prejudices were held by powerful, influential people? In this tale from James Hartley, modern day witches are treated quite badly indeed. Can they cope with it?

James Hartley's Bio

James Hartley is a former computer programmer. Originally from northern New Jersey, he now lives in sunny central Florida. He has published a fantasy novel, "Teen Angel," and stories in Illusion's Transmitter, Written Word Online, Clonepod, Every Day Fiction, Lorelei Signal, KidVisions, Raygun Revival, and the anthology "Desolate Places." He is currently working on a second novel, "The Ghost of Grover's Ridge."

Visit James Hartley at http://teenangel.netfirms.com.

Memory's Victims by Lancer Kind

Throughout Earth's history, the people of Israel seem seldom to catch a break. To what lengths might they have to go to free themselves of continued prejudice? In this tale from Lancer Kind, the Jewish state decides the time has come for drastic measures—they pack it up and leave the prejudices of the Earth behind. That's the plan, at least.

Lancer Kind's Bio

Lancer Kind grew up on a farm in Montana, where his nearest neighbor lived two miles away. Today, he lives near Seattle and travels to other big cities around the world to learn about cultures and cool places to set a story. When he's not visiting Beijing, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Moscow, or Paris, he's doing consulting or snowboarding, and most of the time, it's snowboarding where he meets the most interesting people.

Lancer wrote Memory's Victims after a year of listening to NPR reports about Israeli killing Palestinians and Palestinians killing Israeli and it seems to never end. Unfortunately, this story's idea of having long cultural memories of revenge feels as if it will be forever pertinent. Lancer's goal with fiction is to write that which entertains and reveals truths about society because that's the kind of fiction he loves. His work appears in several anthologies such as Ruins Terra (ed. Eric T. Reynolds), Speculative Realms (ed. Sasha Beatie), and Teacher Miracles (ed. Brian Thornton). Later this year, his story "Casino New Orleans" will appear in Global Warming Aftermaths. Other projects include producing articles about Activist SF, an online comic at http://ScrumNoir.com, a new novel, the occasional YouTube video (http://YouTube.com/user/LancerKind), and starting a commercial wind farm.

He's been dot-com-ed so you can keep in touch with him at http://LancerKind.com.

Cladistics by Stephen Kotowych

Everything must always go according to plan. That's easy to say when you're a robot. But humans, even though they were created by robots, aren't robots. So what's an android teacher to do when its class of human students aboard a generation ship begin asking questions they shouldn't be advanced enough to ask? The students might not like the answer to that question.

Stephen Kotowych's Bio

STEPHEN KOTOWYCH is a freelance writer and editor living in Toronto. He is a Writers of the Future Grand Prize winner and has been a finalist for Canada's top SF prize, the Prix Aurora Award. His stories have appeared in numerous anthologies including Under Cover of Darkness, Writers of the Future XXIII, and Tesseracts 11 and have been translated into Russian, Greek, Spanish, and Finnish. He enjoys guitar, tropical fish, and writing about himself in the third person. Check out his blog at http://kotowych.blogspot.com/.

Starshadows in Sideways Time by Christina Lea

When leaving your homeworld isn't enough, when your whole universe is doomed, where else can you go? Christina Lea brings us this tale of those that seek such escape. But will it be as easy as just picking up and leaving? (Hint: It's not.)

Christina Lea's Bio

In grade school, Christina Lea did her homework twice to prove that her way was better than the teacher's, and she's been right ever since. After slipping out the back door of the local university with a degree in psychology, she worked in laboratories, charted ground water movement, started fires, ran a comic book store, designed web/database gizmos, and wrote all kinds of stuff, including games, technical specifications, proposals, news articles, revolutionary leaflets, stories, and rabbits. Some of these things she did for her own company, which can be found at PerytonPublishing.com, and some she did for people who paid her—or were supposed to pay her. You might also remember her as Tanith E. Howard of the Dunwich Herald. She lives in Cleveland with a raving lunatic and a bunch of cats.

Visit Christina Lea at www.christinalea.com.

Planetfall by Michael C. Lea

What do you get when you combine fey thaumaturges, alien spaceships, gargantuan monsters the size of your homeworld, and competition in the spirit of fair play? You get one heck of a story from Michael C. Lea.

Michael C. Lea's Bio

Michael Lea taught himself to read at age two and has seldom been seen without a book since. His fiction has been published in anthologies such as Troll Tunnels and Pow!erful Tales. He is also a screenwriter, with several feature and short scripts placing highly in prestigious contests such as the Nicholl Fellowships, Scriptapalooza, the Screenwriting Expo, the AAA Screenwriting Contest, the Writemovies.com Writing Contest, the FilmMakers International Screenwriting Awards, the American Gem Short Script Contest, and others.

Michael has a bachelor's degree in computer science and a juris doctorate law degree. He lives in northwest Arkansas with his wife, dog, and four cats, where he is a part-time attorney and a full-time writer. He is a member of the Arkansas Bar and American Mensa, and a former member of the Arkansas Law Review.

Editing by Byron Massey

Byron lent his editing skills to help us out in the capacity of assistant editor, so he's earned an entry here, too.

Byron Massey's Bio

Mr. Massey is a coach of state champions in high school debate, a software author, a college mathematics instructor, and a part-time editor.

He was delighted to work on a story from The Book of Exodi.

"If Viela is still single, I'd like her number."

With Brazen Tongue by Lyn McConchie

Can the faith of a small village and its spiritual leader spare the village from a terrible fate when they are uprooted and moved to a new world? The alien Skine have killed other human colonies they've encountered. Why should it be any different for the transplanted village of Wildhey?

Lyn McConchie's Bio

Lyn McConchie made her first professional sale in 1990. Since then she has sold over 250 short stories across six countries, and 24 books, including her humorous non-fiction DAZE series, (Avalook Publications) about her farm and animals. Her latest genre book from TOR, THE QUESTING ROAD, is due to appear in the second half of 2009. However her western, SOUTH OF RIO CHAMA, will be published by Cyberwizard Productions slightly earlier. (They have also recently accepted her 10-14 year-old's fantasy/supernatural book, SUMMER OF DREAMING). Lyn owns a small farm in New Zealand where she breeds coloured sheep, and shares a 19th century farmhouse with Thunder, her Ocicat, and 7,000 books.

Please Turn Off the Lights When You Leave by Mark Onspaugh

Do you know the significance of the year 2012? Are you sure you know the full significance of the year 2012? With tongue in cheek, Mark Onspaugh tells a tale that may make you wonder if you really understand the whole, big picture.

The cockroaches know. They always know.

Mark Onspaugh's Bio

Mark Onspaugh is a native Californian who grew up on a steady diet of horror, science fiction and DC Comics. He's a proud member of the HWA, and has written a whole lot of short stories, many which will appear in various anthologies this year. He also has four screenplays in development, and was one of the writers of the cult favorite "Flight of the Living Dead". He knows people expect horror writers to be lurking misanthropes, but hasn't lurked since leaving L.A. He lives in Los Osos, CA with his wife, author/artist Dr. Tobey Crockett and two off-kilter cats.

Illustrations by Michelle Rose Pedro

Michelle provided illustrations for about a third of the stories in The Book of Exodi. She says she loved drawing the giant chicken for Scott's Planet. We love looking at it. We hope you'll enjoy her work as much as we do.

Michelle Rose Pedro's Bio

Michelle Pedro is an illustrator working out of Florida. She loves sci fi and fantasy and is a huge comic book fan. You can find more of her work at http://www.coroflot.com/michelle_rose.

Endeavor to Eden by Perry P. Perkins

Scientific research can lead to the discovery of much that is good for humanity. But when does science go too far—when does the scientist become more god than human? In this tale by Perry P. Perkins, science goes where it perhaps should not have gone, and humanity must pay the price.

Perry P. Perkins's Bio

Christian novelist Perry P. Perkins was born and raised in Oregon. His writing includes Just Past Oysterville, and Shoalwater Voices, as well as dozens of articles in national magazines. Perry is a student of Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writer's Guild and a frequent contributor to the Chicken Soup for the Soul anthologies. Examples of his published work can be found online at www.perryperkinsbooks.com.

Vorchek's Picnic by Jeffery Scott Sims

C'mon. When you sit down for a nice little picnic, the last thing you want (or expect) is to be bothered by an alien invasion. As if ants weren't bad enough—

Jeffery Scott Sims's Bio

MY LITERARY LIFE THUS FAR

by Jeffery Scott Sims

At this point, with a healthy number of short story sales under my belt, I can profitably look back and consider how it all happened. Early on I was a great reader and writer; scarcely was I past the Dick and Jane phase than I fastened on science fiction, which remained a staple until adulthood. During the third grade I read all of the classic novels of H.G. Wells—which to this day strike me as the epitome of that form—shortly began writing my own little tales for the amusement of friends. As an adolescent I read a story, not heeding the author then, which began the permanent shift in my tastes. A year or two later I read a collection of tales by H.P. Lovecraft, soon discovered that mesmerizing story to be "The Shadow Out of Time". I was hooked, and have ever been since a fan of the double-dyed weird. In my teens I read half a dozen times The Lord of the Rings, found another outlet for imagination in pure fantasy. I began writing stories regularly, for the first time seriously intending to publish commercially.

For an aggravatingly long span intentions were all. Market factors; my own amateurishness of technique; less than professional salesmanship; where the explanation for those lean days? All I know is that suddenly, without clear warning, I started to sell, and not only my latest productions, either. I never gave up, which must count for something. I am building up a satisfying body of genre work.

My literary gods, those I acknowledge as the masters, are Lovecraft (still, and always), Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, and E.R. Eddison. Each provides me with the very best of what I crave from great stories of their kind. I measure others, and myself, against them.

Save for a few forays into SF, and the occasional light touch, most of my writings can be described as weird horror and dark fantasy. I write of beasties creeping in the night, or beyond the universe; I write of fabulous worlds and remote eras of my own invention. I have sought, my very best, to learn from the masters without imitating them. The story I pen is meant to be mine, not a copy of another's.

I prefer to read and write what I call clean stories, by which I mean those which present a plot, and the characters to drive it, and having done that get going and keep going unto the last word. Seldom do I clutter a work with back story—endless chatter about personal irrelevancies or private "issues"—unless the plot absolutely demands it, and even then I am wary of topical excess which may seem clever at the time, pitiful later on. I am first and foremost a story teller, and I want my stories to live beyond the fleeting present.

Many of my tales are one-off creations, written and done with, yet scarcely planning to do so I have fashioned characters who came to mean so much that they began to appear again and again. So I have written many a yarn of the obsessive researcher Professor Anton Vorchek, he of the keen mind and hazy credentials, constantly delving into morbid mysteries than no one else can fathom, often accompanied by his loyal but querulous young assistant Theresa Delaney. So too I have written of the cold-minded, somber sorcerer of yesteryear Jacob Bleek, a man of few words but eager desire for ultimate wisdom and power, the goal of a quest for which he wanders the world and beyond, never (mercifully) achieving, but always finding marvelous adventure. Those characters will appear again, along with the numerous others who pass briefly by to face unusual perils or suffer unimaginable fates.

It is a pleasure to imagine the unimaginable. I love such tales because they connote the broadest, most powerful, and scintillating exercise of the mind. I look forward to reading many more of them, and to writing more.

Visit Jeffery Scott Sims at http://www.geocities.com/jeffss_2000/.

Moral Invaders by Ken St. Andre

If you were going to be invaded and possibly forced off your homeworld, wouldn't you rather it be by moral invaders, rather than immoral ones? Who wouldn't? This 2005 flash fiction reprint from Ken St. Andre demonstrates how the morality of alien invaders could matter.

Ken St. Andre's Bio

Ken St. Andre is the creator of the fantasy roleplaying game Tunnels and Trolls. He also co-created the classic PC game Wasteland. He has written various other games and fiction, and is an active member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He currently dwells in Phoenix, Arizona, where by day he takes on the guise of a public librarian. He is worshipped as the Trollgod in a universe parallel to Earth's, in a place called Trollhalla, where he is also known by the name Khenn Arrth.

Read about Ken St. Andre on Wikipedia.

Visit Ken St. Andre at Trollhalla.

Illustrations by Gynn Stella

Gynn has been busy of late, but we were lucky enough to tap her talents for one of the illustrations in The Book of Exodi.

Gynn Stella's Bio

Gynn Stella co-owns Dandelion Studios, a comic book publishing company, with her husband Rick Silva. Her titles include Zephyr & Reginald: Minions For Hire; "I Believe..." One Cat's Spiritual Statement; and the upcoming graphic novel Knifeclaw Company. She also dabbles in science illustration, her first and truest artistic love.

Gynn rehabilitates wildlife and specializes in raptors and small mammals (though not at the same time). She and her husband live on Cape Cod with their two cats and enjoy crabbing on the mudflats and gardening.

Visit Gynn Stella at Dandelion Studios.

Next Year In Jerusalem by Harry Turtledove

Jews have been forced out of their homeland. Those that remain must live under Muslim rule. In this 2003 reprint from Harry Turtledove, it's time to retake the homeland. Will the Second Irgun have the weaponry, the advanced technology, and the willpower to do it?

Harry Turtledove's Bio

Harry Turtledove is the Master of Alternate History; his novels brought the genre of alternate history into the mainstream. He has authored and co-authored scores of books and short stories, and has received numerous awards for his works.

You can read more about Harry Turtledove on Wikipedia. Or simply run an internet search for Harry Turtledove or the phrase Master of Alternate History.

Support Eposic

Please make an occasional purchase from Amazon by following the link below, and you'll help support Eposic. It costs you nothing extra, and it helps us pay for more fiction and this web server. Any little bit helps.